Top 10 3D SMART TV of 2013

Top 10 3D SMART TV

1. Samsung UE55F8000

Until its 4K TV arrives in the UK, the UE55F8000 sits at the top of Samsung’s 2013 TV lineup. Of course, this means it’s packed full of features, including — deep breath — voice and motion control technology, a smart TV system that supports all the major UK terrestrial TV catch up services, micro-dimming for deeper black levels, dual tuners for both Freesat and Freeview and active 3D support. As an overall package, the UE55F8000 is just about the best LED screen I’ve come across. Its motion- and voice-control features are still not much more than gimmicks, but the smart TV system is top notch and the set’s picture and audio quality is very strong by LED standards. That’s just as well, as this is a hugely expensive TV.

2. Sony XBR HX950

If you forget, for a joyless, mercifully brief moment, the existence of Sharp’s Elite and a few 75-inch, 80-inch, and 84-inch LCDs, the Sony XBR-HX950 is the most expensive major-label TV of the year. It costs more than any 2012 TV set in its size class, and offers fewer gimmicky extras – no voice and gesture recognition, no “invisible” bezel, no touch-pad remote than any other top of the line 2012 TV. What it does offer is local dimming from its full-array LED backlight at a price that still undercuts the Elite dramatically. That backlight enables the HX950 to outperform all other LED-based LCD TVs upsetting the previous champ, Sony’s own HX850. Unfortunately for Sony, the picture quality difference between the two isn’t worth the $1,000 price difference at 55 inches. It is for well-heeled TV buyers who don’t want plasma, can’t quite afford the Elite, and want to buy the 65-inch size.

3. LG 55L M7600

This late in the year it’s rare to be surprised one way or the other by the picture quality of a TV, but LG’s LM7600 has thrown us for a loop. The 7600’s image is clearly better. It even outperformed the company’s significantly more expensive flagship model, the LM9600. Color on the LM7600 was poor in 3D however, with reddish skin tones and an off cast to many areas in comparison with the other sets, especially the Vizio and UNES8000. Note that all of these sets can be calibrated for 3D so color and perhaps other characteristics can be improved. Among all of the 3D glasses, LG’s glasses are the best overall. They are exceedingly light, fit above your glasses especially compared with active-3D models. Yeah, they seem flimsy, but that’s much less of an issue when they can be inexpensively replaced.

4. Panasonic TC-P55VT50

In a year when the firsttwo big-screen OLED TVs are hitting the market and the best LCD to date will likely have an even better successor, Panasonic’s VT50 plasma still has the best flat-panel picture you can buy for now. Even if one of those contenders manages to unseat it atop the picture-quality heap, videophiles who invested in Panasonic’s flagship can reassure themselves that OLED and Elite owners are getting ripped off. The VT50 itself is not cheap by any means, but it’s sure to cost much, much less than those others. Color and shadow detail were superior to what you get in the default Movie mode of the Samsung E8000. The Samsung also seemed to be doing some edge enhancement. All of these issues can be improved by calibration, however, and even if it can’t Samsung’s 3D image, with its much-less-obvious crosstalk, would be better than the VT50’s. 5.Toshiba 55H6200U

The most important difference between this 2nd tier model and the top end L7200 is the Clear Scan 120Hz feature rather than the 240Hz in the L7200. Aside from this difference, it has all of Toshiba’s top end 2012 features such as LED edge lighting and passive 3D compatibility, Toshiba’s Smart TV suite, the new CQ Video Engine (dual core) and passive 2D to 3D conversion. It also has a full web browser and QWERTY keyboard. Priced at $1899 the 55L6200U is around $100 less than the Samsung UN55ES7100 and $100 more than the LG 55LM7600 (240Hz) so there is no shortage of tough competition. At 55” we also get into a slew of competitive plasma TV models. But this model stands out for a variety of reasons not least of which is a good feature set. 3D glasses are included and less expensive than active 3D choices. LG also has passive 3D.6.SHARP LC-70LE845U

Sharp endowed the 845 with the same pair of prodigious screen sizes as the 640 — 60 and 70 inches — and added 3D compatibility and a handful of apps, namely Hulu Plus and Skype. The 845U also has a more aggressive contrast ratio specification, but that spec doesn’t translate into deeper black levels; in fact, along with color, they’re worse. At press time that worse 2D picture will cost you at least $200 more at the 60-inch size, making my recommendation of the 640U even easier. Unless you really want 3D, go with the Sharp 640U series, which remains one of the best big-screen values around.

7. VIZIOXVT3D M55ID The M551D VIZIO comes with Internet Apps Plus and you can instantly enjoy the latest hit movies, TV shows, music and even more apps made for the big screen. With a theater 3D having Crystal-clear, flicker-free, brighter 3D than conventional 3DTVs it is a sure pleasure with built-in Wi-Fi; easily connect to the Internet with ultra-fast wireless. Razor LED comes with Smart Dimming for a more vibrant picture with deeper contrast, all in an ultra-thin design. The 240Hz effective refresh rate with Smooth Motion enhanced with backlight scanning helps you to enjoy stunningly sharp fast action scenes.

8. JVC JLE55SP4000 2013 Just when it appeared as if JVC was going to get out of the TV business altogether and focus on car and home audio, they released their first 55-inch 3D LED TV and it is their best LED TV to date. The JVC JLE55SP4000 Black Sapphire is the first in a new line of HDTVs with a satisfyingly large screen and a set of features that is quite impressive overall. The JVC JLE55SP4000 is the first in a new line of JVC LED TVs and it’s their best. It boasts their biggest screen ever at 55-inches and has many impressive specs to go along with it, though some, like the refresh rate, could still be improved. The stellar sound quality outshines most of the TVs on our lineup. The lack of customer service options is a bit off-putting, but the affordability, combined with solid specs, makes this a great purchase.

9. Philips 55PFL7007 If there’s one TV this year we really wish had been delivered to us already mounted onto its stand, it’s the 55PFL7007T. It’s not just that its 55-inch screen making it a substantial bit of kit to lug about, the mechanism for attaching the stand to the TV is seriously fiddly. There is at least a substantial pay off for your hard construction work, though. For as well as looking and feeling splendidly heavy duty, the stand with the 55PFL7007T contains the set’s speakers. The PFL7007 series is looking like a real ‘sweet spot’ in Philips’ widely impressive current range, delivering a combination of looks, features, performance quality and even value that should see the 55PFL7007T and its brethren featuring high on any serious TV buyer’s shortlist.

10. Mitsubishi WD-60638

The Mitsubishi WD-60638 HDTV provides vivid images with its superior color reproduction system and massive 60-inch screen. This 3D compatible TV delivers incredible picture performance that outpaces conventional, smaller LCD TVs. It offers deep black level and wide viewing angle to provide consistent video quality in any room application. Its decent amount of connectivity options will provide sufficient ports to cater to all your multimedia systems from your Blu-ray player, entertainment systems to gaming consoles. You will experience larger than life display with the massive 60-inch screen of the Mitsubishi WD-60638 HDTV. Its superior video processing system, with Mitsubishi’s exclusive Six-Color Processor, delivers life-like images in both 2D and 3D formats. Its excellent image reproduction system, accurate color processor and 3D capability make this TV a perfect centerpiece for your home or office entertainment system.